


Aftermath of Calamity

by Kasshiiwa



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:33:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29594223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasshiiwa/pseuds/Kasshiiwa
Summary: Years after Breath of the Wild, Nintendo made us in my opinion an extraordinary gift with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I can safely say that, nearly as much as Princess Zelda herself, I too wanted to "Protect everyone". <3But in terms of Romance, while the game's first five chapters are full of "cute" moments between the Princess and her Knight, the development of their relationship was completely overlooked after "Each Step Like Thunder". Letting my imagination go wild...My fic focuses on this side of the story.· It begins at the end of Chapter 7, after “The Future of Hyrule”.· It contains spoilers from AoC Postgame and BotW as well.· It doesn't account for DLCs that hadn't even been announced yet at the date of its writing.· It freely interprets some points of TLoZ Lore, such as the Power of the Seal, Sheikah technology or the cycle of reincarnation.Different characters take turns telling the story from their perspective, as to reflect the gameplay of the game._______________________An immense THANK YOU to HylianHeroOfHyrule who is helping me to improve my translation! <3
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. Injuries

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!   
> I'm new here so comments and kudos are greatly valued if you like my work. :)   
> Thanks for reading anyway, and Happy TLoZ 35th Anniversary Year!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Calamity had only been sealed away a few hours ago. After several days and nights spent fighting, our heroes were still managing the consequences of the ultimate fight as best they could.

_“Most injuries heal in time, but guilt is a cancer that knows where to hide.”_

_― RMA Spears_

*****

###  **_ZELDA_ **

I felt a knot in my stomach: for the first time since Calamity Ganon had risen again, I was going to set foot in my quarters. Our victory over fatality was but a few hours old and the euphoria that had followed our triumph was gradually giving way to emptiness and exhaustion.

Revali had gallantly dropped me on the catwalk between my room and the tower I had made my study of and then went flying over the plain in search of wounded soldiers and fleeing monsters. Urbosa was leading the ground search team. Mipha and Impa were bustling about in the makeshift hospital that the Great Hall had become, while Daruk and his men were clearing the rubble away. Link had insisted on patrolling the castle to get rid of the last foes. Father had told him he deserved some rest after such achievements, but he went nonetheless: "Thank you, Your Majesty, but everyone has fought with all their might today and I don't see anybody else resting.” It was all him... Now the Calamity has been sealed away, he was going to enjoy a little more freedom at last: his role as the Princess's appointed knight wouldn't matter so much, would it? No need for him to follow me around like a shadow anymore… Did the Princess herself even matter still anyway? Ah yes: " _Bequeath the Blood of the Goddess_ " ... Our survival at all had been compromised so drastically and for such a long time by my lack of powers… I had almost forgotten this commitment.

I carefully walked down the inner staircase, which had miraculously held up. It took my eyes a long time to get used to the darkness of my room, and the chaos that reigned down there didn't really help with finding my bearings. A whole section of the wall and part of the ceiling had collapsed, littering the floor with stones and dust. Everything else had been turned upside down by monsters.

I was proceeding cautiously, carefully choosing my steps: my feet were already bruised enough from having gone through this war in sandals. The main door now opened only to a shapeless heap of freestone and broken beams, and the outer staircase that once led to the gardens had been pulverized by guardian beams: I was deprived of all access to my room except by air. My bed, with its broken bedspring and one missing foot, was arching like a dying beast. At the back of my bedroom, my gutted wardrobe seemed to be keeping up what was left of the solid wall it had once leaned against.

I was coming here right for it. It was out of the question that I’d let everyone else manage the aftermath of this war without getting involved: the "Useless Princess" had died that night at Fort Hateno, with the awakening of my powers ... But before that, if I could at least find a pair of real shoes, and get rid of this damn dress; if I could find comfy and warm and practical clothes instead. And clean ones too! I had come to hate this ceremonial dress which forced me to keep my legs tight at all times and to fill up my chest for fear that it would slip down! This rag, torn by our ordeals and spattered with mud and blood only held on me by the Mercy of Hylia.

###  **_LINK_ **

The skies of Hyrule had never looked so blue. It amazed me every time I took my eyes off the ruins of the castle. After this long night fighting under the reddish halo of the Calamity and the Blood Moon, the true colours of the world seemed so intense they were almost blinding. It was done, finally. Ganon had been defeated and Hyrule was safe. I felt… Naked; without this weight on my shoulders I felt vulnerable to everything I had managed to keep silent within me, and I knew it would only be worse the next day.

I had used the excuse of a patrol around the castle to seek some peace and quiet. I had only found a few Bokoblins and a Lizalfos, monsters that were already too battered to flee with the others. The images of our fight kept coming back to my mind; a few more hours would be needed for the tension to come down completely. One image, in particular, came back often: Zelda turning toward me, triumphant, after having accomplished her Sacred Mission… And smiling at me… I had never doubted her, never. I wish I had had the guts at that time to remind her: “I’ve told you so”. And that smile, more dazzling than everything else… Once again, I had been burning with the need to hold her in my arms… Pfff… I could hardly even move then… I guess it was better this way.

Before leaving this strange place where we had fought Ganon, we had collected as many of the Little Guardian pieces as we could find, all together, by Zelda's Light. Egg… No… what was his real name again? Trico? Neither… Ah, Terrako… The thought I had only learned your name after having been forced to destroy you made me sick. You, our little friend we owed so greatly ... Zelda hadn't blamed me for that yet but I was sure she was going to hold it against me: one more blow in the wing of her esteem of me. And I would deserve it; I already hated myself for that. I should have thought faster and found another means ... Maybe by using stasis on him we could have deactivated him without destroying him? Just by ripping off his legs? Could we have purified him? "Knight who Seals the Darkness" they kept calling me… Oh sure…! Bullshit. I was just destroying everything I touched…

My patrol was coming to an end. To my right, the high Tower of the Princess seemed to be glowering at me; the footbridge that linked it to her quarters was hanging over me like a cleaver. Beyond them, I could already catch sight of the crowd of Hyrulian armies who had found shelter under the great courtyard: Gorons, Zoras, Ritos, Gerudos, Hylians, a few Sheikah’s, and even the Yigas… all brothers in arms. All _my_ brothers in arms. Even though I was in no rush to mingle with them, I was really treasuring this view. I knew they were torn between exultation and mourning, between relief and exhaustion, between pride and pain: torn apart on the inside, but more united than ever together.

In order to avoid the crowd, I took the stairs up to my right to gain a little more height, now walking the familiar walkway that led up to the Hanging Gardens. As I reached them, a muffled cry snapped me out of my reverie. Then a second, which echoed above me: it seemed to come from Zelda's room. It couldn't be her: all access to her room was completely ruined! Unless she had accessed it by some other means? A third cry, almost a moan this time: whoever it could be, there was definitely someone up there.

"Your Highness…? " The sound of broken glass was my only answer.

"Princess Zelda, is that you?" Is everything Alright!?" In response, I heard a distinct sob this time. Abandoning my round, I headed toward the collapsed staircase to climb it and check what was going on.

###  **_MIPHA_ **

Sidon had gone back to his own time. We were going to meet again. In fact, I was going to see him as soon as I would return to Zora’s Domain, just smaller! Oh much, very much smaller… And yet, something was bothering me. I had swum through our discussions back and forth and something was still escaping me. I wasn’t able to put my fin on it and it gnawed at me. A shadow in his eyes, a smile that was always a little too slow to shine... 

“Princess Mipha! We have yet another open fracture around here... Do you have a moment?"

"Oh! I got it, Impa; I'm coming as soon as possible! "

Fortunately, if I may say, I was kept busy enough by the steady stream of injured people being brought to the hospital, allowing me no time to sink in melancholy. Link had gone on patrol. As deep as I knew him, he certainly just wanted to isolate himself a bit after this tough battle. Link and his solitary escapades... How he could have worried us because of them a few years ago when the Domain had taken him as ward... 

When Link was only four or five years old, his mother had died giving birth, along with his expected little sister. His father, a Captain of the Hylian Army assigned to protect the Aqueduct and the Dam, had decided to entrust him to a Zora governess rather than leaving him with his family in Hateno village. So Link had spent much of his childhood among my people. He made his poor nurse’s life quite difficult, playing pranks to her and running away from her. He was smaller than me at the time. Maybe he saw me as a motherly or sisterly figure, but we quickly became the best friends in the world. My feelings had been so pure at that time, limpid, like spring water: we were like brother and sister, like fishes of a scale, as simple as that.

A few years later when his father died in turn, defending the Domain from a Lynel, it had been only natural for my father the King of Zora people to take Link under his flipper.

He remained among us until he was twelve, the minimum age required to be accepted - and by derogation only - at the military academy of his own people. He absolutely wanted to walk in his father's footsteps, as soon as he might. Something over there was calling him so strongly that no one had been able to hold him back… I hadn't seen him since, not at all until the day Princess Zelda came to recruit me to become Ruta’s pilot… Escorted by a very attractive bodyguard...

Everything has been so twisted in my head since then... I quickly understood to whom his heart was taking him, though. And later on, Sidon had confirmed it by telling me about their life in the future. There in the future he had witnessed their wedding. There in the future, he was looking forward to teaching the future little princes and princesses of Hyrule how to swim. There in the future, he was still calling King Link his brother… Oh, Sidon… I wish you had stayed a little longer… Decades will have to flow before I can confide in you on these matters again... My dear brother...

###  **_ZELDA_ **

Sitting in the sunken part of my bed, I had begun to untie my sandals so I could change clothes. The leather of their straps had left deep marks on my flesh, and their sole, completely unsuitable for running, had burned my skin. I had spent days telling myself that it was nothing, nothing at all compared to the suffering my people had endured because of me, nothing at all compared to the gaping cuts that Link sometimes wore after his fights… Really, it was still nothing at all compared to Terrako's sacrifice… Ganon was sealed away at last and all the pains I had chosen to ignore were all coming back to me at the same time. In a fit of anger, I had thrown my second sandal through the wreckage of my old life and buried my head in my hands, crying.

"Your Highness…?"

I jumped upon recognizing Link's voice. I looked up, just in time to see him stumble and fall to the floor, cursing. Reflexively, I straightened my dress to cover my knees and wiped my tears away. 

"Link, but… what are you doing here? Are you hurt…?”

He got up quickly and I was twice as relieved because I was selfishly dreading having to go to him barefoot ...

"Please excuse me, Your Highness, I heard someone crying. I called out but got no answer…" He was looking so embarrassed…

"I… I did not hear… Everything is fine, thank you, Link…" I told him, looking away.

He just stood there, not saying anything. Scowling, his gaze moved from my feet to my face in dismay. I didn't want him to see me like this: a fragile little thing crying out for the tiniest of blisters. He swallowed and walked over to me. Still silent, he kneeled beside me and finally said:

"I've been wondering for days how by Din you were still able to walk… I wouldn't have lasted a single day in those would-be-shoes. Let me help you. Please…”

He had said it quietly, calmly, without any hint of pity. I could see his hand shaking nervously on his thigh though. Once again I saw his Adam's apple rise and fall on his throat, betraying his nervousness. Then he lifted his head and drilled his beautiful blue eyes into mine. Behind the endearment and regrets I could see in them, they seemed to glow with their very own light.

"Link ..."

"I guess you'll refuse if I suggest that you go and ask Mipha… And you know as well as I do that I won't leave you like that, so… Let me help you…"

A slight, tender smile spread over his face, so warm that it felt as if it had started a small fire in my chest. It was my turn to be silent... He got up and climbed the stairs towards the catwalk. I took this opportunity to take a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh as if to remember how to breathe. He returned a few moments later with a basin filled with water.

“I pulled it from your zinc rainwater cisterns, it looks safe… here."

He put the basin down at my feet and reached for a small glass jar from his pocket. He took a nut of the ointment it contained and diluted it in the water. Then he stood up, sweeping his gaze around the room.

"The water is quite cold, I’m sorry… Otherwise, the tower was relatively spared but I couldn't find anything to dry you off…"

I dipped my feet in the icy water - I had experienced much worse during my prayers in the springs. The relief was almost immediate. With one hand, I gently rubbed my feet and ankles, up to mid-calf.

“I saw a few clean sheets at the bottom of the closet, behind me. The wall has half fallen down on it, but the laundry in it has been sheltered from dust. Oh Link, that feels so good! Oh, by Nayru, what did you put in that water? "

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him smile at me with the candour of a young child. He seemed prouder of his ointment than he had been for having defeated Ganon...

“It's a special herbal balm my mother used to make… How often did I have a use for it when I was a tot! I noticed the plant she used when we were in Necluda - it had been years since I had found any - so I tried to make some, just in case ... From what you say I suppose I have prepared it well enough! I would have loved to share it with you sooner, but… I…”

The smile I had still heard in his voice until then was completely gone now. He didn't even need to complete his sentence. I knew only too well what he was thinking about...

###  **_LINK_ **

Zelda had looked down at her hands and stiffened. The unease that had settled between us since Necluda had somehow faded only fleetingly ... During the Battle of Fort Hateno, I had ordered Impa to flee with the Princess as I went to face Astor’s abominations alone. I'm not the kind of guy who would admit defeat easily, and yet I must concede that the outcome of this fight had hardly seemed favourable to me at all. All I wanted was to give her enough time to run away or hide and I was at peace with my choice. After all, as my father had ironically said so long ago, dying for her was the best I could hope for.

I was quickly overwhelmed by the coordinated attacks of the four creatures, especially the lightning one, so fast. But at the very moment everything should have ended for me, instead of being plunged into the darkness of death, I had been shrouded in Light. A soft warmth radiated at my back while, before my eyes, the Shadows of Ganon dissolved in Hylia's golden glow. When I turned around, Zelda was there: her hand reaching out to me illuminating the entire Universe, her gaze piercing my soul. Her Sealing Power had finally awakened! No time to ask her how, nor why she had come back, not even enough time to tell her how happy and relieved I was for her… Proud too… We seized this opportunity to turn the situation to our advantage on the battlefield.

When the last Guardian, sodden with Ganon's Malice, had attacked, we fought him together: the Royal Priestess and her Knight, as in fairy tales. At the end of the fight, as I sheathed my sword, we found ourselves face to face. I would have had so much to say to her if I hadn't been so shy. I felt pathetic. I was still looking for my courage and my words when I saw her falter: I ran without thinking the few steps that separated us. As I grabbed her shoulders to support her, she clutched my tunic in her fists and plunged her face toward my heart. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around her and I embraced her... Her long golden hair slipping between my fingers, the warmth of her body against mine, I had never known anything so sweet. I put my lips on her bare neck to inhale the intoxicating scent of her skin.

And suddenly she had let go of my tunic and started hitting my chest with her fist:

"I forbid you to sacrifice yourself for me do you hear me?? I forbid it!!" She yelled at me.

At our feet the Little Guardian echoed her shouts by whistling alarmingly, running frantically around us ...

"What do you think your death would have been useful for, eh? Did you want to die like a Hero?? If you imagined that I could have run away you are just an idiot! And even if I had gotten out of it somehow, how would I have done then, to defeat Ganon without the Knight who Seals the Darkness, eh?? "

She was in tears and punctuated her sentences with punches to my heart as I hugged her yet a little closer.

"…How do you think I would have done… Link… To go on… Without you…? I’ve been so scared… ”

She was sobbing now and collapsed on herself. I dropped to one knee to keep on supporting her. She had rested her forehead on my shoulder, and I gently stroked the back of her neck to try to comfort her.

"I'm fine, don't worry… I'm here and I’m fine and it's all thanks to you, Zelda. You shouldn't have put yourself in danger for me either but you saved us all… Thank you… You are stronger than I’ll ever be… ”

I realized only afterwards I had called her by her first name but I did not correct myself: she was _my_ princess, she was in my arms, from where she pervaded all my senses. And I was hers. At that moment we were just but one broken soul. I whispered:

"I'm sorry you were so scared… And I'm sorry again, but giving my life… If that's my only chance to save yours, I will do it again without question…"

I kissed her neck tenderly before going on.

"Because… I love you… ".

###  **_ZELDA_ **

He had listened patiently through my whole lecture and had suffered my blows without a flinch, hugging me to his heart until all my anger was smothered. And when he spoke, at last, he called me Zelda, kissed my neck and told me he loved me. It was too much, too unforeseen. I couldn't afford this desire for total surrender that I was feeling for him, in my soul as in my body. There was still too much to do! Too many hopes suddenly revived by the awakening of my Power, too many responsibilities towards my people. Too many wild emotions unleashed in me. Now was not the time, Link!!

"LINK!" I barked at him, pushing him away furiously, unable to utter anything else. I jumped up and staggered a few yards toward the Fort before everything turned to black.

I had woken up in a makeshift bed of the hurriedly set up infirmary tent, with only Impa by my bed.

*****


	2. Care

_"It is out of love for him that you want to treat him! He does not need your care ... And besides, who has medicine ever healed?" - Leo Tolstoy_

  
*******

###  _LINK_

Zelda had fainted while trying to run away from me. As if I had ever been capable of doing her any wrong. I had caught her just when she was about to hit the floor and had carried her back to the Fort, entrusting her to Impa's vigilance and Mipha's care. The Little Guardian was seemingly willing to stay with her too. So much the better.

I had been an idiot: I had taken her distress at the idea of losing me as a confession of some feelings she might have had for me, when in truth she had just been afraid for her Kingdom and her Sacred Mission. I was but a tool for her, a tool she had to use to win this war, that's why she needed me alive, and that was the only reason, period. Wasn’t it explicitly what she had stated in her outburst to begin with? Why in Hylia’s name did I have to interpret it otherwise? Ashamed, I left the camp to find some height, ignoring my friends’ heartened calls. They were so delighted with our victory and Zelda’s Awakening, and rightly so… Yet like a wounded animal I needed to be alone: perched on one of the towers of Hateno's Wall, I tried to heal my wounds in the faint light of the moonshine.

Not that long ago, before the Calamity awakened, she would have insisted that we should take care of each other. It was a routine we had taken on shortly after my assignment as her appointed knight. That day, we had been ambushed by monsters on our way to the Royal Ancient Laboratory. Following our victory, when I refused to give the Nursing Officer more work with what I considered to be minor injuries, the Princess of Hyrule ordered me to sit down. She took a small first aid kit out of her purse and undertook to nurse me by herself. Awkward, she kept avoiding my gaze as she cured and bandaged my arm and chest. I could feel her hands shaking slightly, and I privately began to speculate on the reasons for such uneasiness: was she worried of doing wrong, worried of causing pain… Or could someone of her standing just be shy? Good gracious, she was so lovely…

When she was done, I grabbed a clean compress soaked in the same lotion she had used for me and raised my arm to dab her forehead, just at the hairline, where she had earned a slight cut while fighting along us.

“I beg your pardon, your Highness. I must be a very poor Bodyguard for you to have to take part in fights… ”.

Surprised by my move and my words, she finally looked me in the eye. She was blushing and it took her a few seconds to regain her composure:

"Don't say such nonsense, we wouldn't be here anymore if you hadn't stopped this crazy guardian ... Impa was right about you: you truly are an outstanding fighter ... I feel safer with you by my side".

“You… You fought really well too using this strange technology. I was impressed. Just a little more practice and you won't need a bodyguard at all… ”

She had smiled so sincerely I couldn't help beaming back at her.

"Then please, don't tell my Father, won’t you?" She had said softly.

“I promise... Your Highness."

She had put her things away and we had parted, both a little confused. But ever since then, taking mutual care of our wounds had become an habit, a tacit agreement between us, which was especially dear to me for the comfort and those moments of intimacy it offered with her. It seemed like an eternity ago: ever since I had forced her to flee from the castle, abandoning her Father, she had grown more distant from me. What was it going to be, now that I had confessed feelings that she obviously did not share...

No longer holding in place, I jumped down the wall towards Hateno. This road was leading to my hometown, but it had been such a long time since I had last walked it. Nostalgia soon mingled with my heartache and my weariness. I headed toward the river to wash the blood off my hands. This is where I found the plant my mother used for her _sore balm_ , as she called it. There was also a beehive over there near a shed, for honey and propolis, and there might be some clay in the river bed… All the needed ingredients. My thoughts went immediately to Zelda. For days now I had seen her silently wincing in pain. She was trying to hide her soreness and refused to let anyone heal her, as if to punish herself… After a short moment of hesitation - why even bother preparing some when the one person it was destined for would probably never let me go near her ever again? - I followed my first impulse and spent the rest of the night preparing Mom’s medicine.

Indeed, I should never ever tell the Princess I’d had to crush the leaves between my teeth to make it.

###  _ZELDA_

Link had returned, early in the morning. He had greeted me with a low bow, according to etiquette. 

"I am glad you are doing better, Your Highness," he had only said. His blank face no longer expressed any emotion.

"Link…" I started without having a clue of what I was going to say. The devouring desire to regain the embrace of his arms monopolized all my thoughts, but succumbing to it was out of the question for now. He interrupted me anyway:

“Don't worry about me, Your Highness. I am but your humble servant. I have been told that you were planning to make an announcement to your army and wished my attendance. You can count on me. You always will. ” And he bowed again.

Link stood back, stoic, during my speech. It seemed I had petrified his heart by rejecting him. I knew he was quietly aching because of me and guilt was eating me away. To suppress my crave to comfort him, I resolved to mirror his cold-hearted demeanour.

As he had sworn, he had remained unfailingly devout the days that followed, and so on until the final battle. But until that moment when he had knelt down in front of my bed he never got rid of his withdrawn attitude. I came back to reality, bathing my bare feet in my wrecked room.

I could feel his gaze on my back as he stood up, a pile of sheets lying on his arms. In an icy silence he walked around the bed, put the excess sheets down on the corner of the mattress and, keeping only one in hands, he dropped to one knee, inexpressive.

"Please." he said, presenting the open sheet in front of me. I got my feet out of the water and he cradled my legs in it before removing the basin with one hand. He rested my wrapped legs on the dusty carpet, took the jar of ointment out of his pocket and put it into my hand. Before he had time to move away, I put my other hand on his. Still not daring to meet his gaze, I was doing my best not to squeeze his hand as hard as I was yearning to.

"Thank you, Link ..."

His breathing had accelerated in surprise. He eyed me doubtfully for a few moments, then lifted his other arm to brush a strand of my hair behind my ear. When his hand furtively brushed my cheek, my heart went racing and I couldn't resist looking into his eyes anymore.

“Rub some of this directly on your sores,’’ he only said, “like ointment. It's a little sticky but it’s relieving and it will help you to heal… ” He gave me a sad smile."I'll get you some clean water if you want to freshen up before you change." I can't stand to see you wearing that damn dress anymore, you seem constantly frozen… ”

He stood up and released his hand from mine, letting them both press on his small glass jar instead. I wanted to hold him back, to call him, to open my arms and my heart to him like I could not do at Fort Hateno, but I was frozen. He soon came back and placed the basin of clean water he had promised me on my night table, and without another word he left, leaping down the rubble of the stairs without even bothering to open his paraglider.

Oh Link… It wasn't from cold that I was shaking so much…

###  _MIPHA_

“Link! Did everything go well ? "

Foggy eyed like someone who drank a little too much, Link had joined me on the dais, in the corner of the Great Hall where I had secluded myself to decant my turmoil. The flow of arrivals had finally calmed down, allowing me to rest for a while.

As he had been crossing the room he had seemed thoroughly oblivious to the loud cheers and applause from the soldiers he was passing by, as to the fact that all eyes had been on him. He had barely paused a few seconds to answer something to Impa when she had stopped him. The great Hero who had defeated the Calamity was, at that very moment, nothing more than a washed out boy. Without even replying to me, he had put his weapons down and had taken place on a free bunk next to me, lying on his back and hiding his face under his arm.

"Would you happen to need care?" "

He let out a huge sigh before answering.

"No… Thank you Mipha… I mostly need… Insight. I need to understand. I'm so lost right now… "

"Oh…"

"To my knowledge, your power has no effect over heartaches ..." 

I came nearer to him and suggested in a lower voice.

"Then I guess it's about Princess Zelda, isn't it?" "

He looked surprised and lifted his arm and neck to inquire my gaze. Knowingly tilting my head, I forced myself to smile at him. He sighed once more before hiding again, behind his palms this time, digging his fingers through his beautiful sandy hair. He didn't insult me by trying to mislead me.

"Is it _that_ obvious…? He grumbled.

"Let's say that… Yes… When you pay attention to it the tension between you two is quite clear…"

He seemed to waver a few seconds, then let it go.

"… I love her, Mipha… I have always loved her and ever since I made the mistake of telling her the truth, she barely dares to meet my gaze at all… Sometimes, I could nearly believe that she shares my feelings and the next moment she pushes me away. Sometimes like just earlier she gives the impression I scare her to death. I don't know what to think nor how to act. Din’s balls! Everything is so very much easier with you… ”

"Aah…" That's all I could say without betraying my own misery… If he had known… He went on:

"I have come to think that maybe it is not a question of feelings but of standing…? I'm just the son of a provincial knight, so probably not the "prince" of her dreams, that's sure enough; too ill-bred for her, too coarse? Maybe she's scared that I could suddenly behave like a boor? Or maybe I’m too small? A nice little peasant just good enough for flirting a bit with, surely nothing more, oh no… That would explain why she keeps seeking me like this, and then brushes me off as soon as I take a small step towards her. "

It was like a flooding torrent when pieces of wood and debris form a clod: it had been enough to remove just the tiniest of twigs for the current to wash away all the rest of his cumbrance in a debacle of words. I knew he was capable of staying silent for entire days, but when he started to pour his thoughts out, it was hard to stop him, and even more so when being so tired. I let him carry on.

"I've always known it after all: my father had already told me when I was but a small fry, that's to say… _Field rats like you and me don't marry Princesses_ he used to say… and it's not like I hadn’t heard them discussing this together - Impa and her, right after my assignment… - that I was _'_ _kind of cute'_ but that _'_ _do_ _you realize how scandalous it would be if…'_ ”

I cut him off.

"Eeeeh… Shall I remind _Mister Field Rat_ that he is a ward of King Dorefah himself and that the two first heirs to the Zora throne consider him as family? Do you want me to use my connections, Your Lordship the Finless Zora Prince? "

My remark about his lack of fins made him grin for an instant, reminding him of the good old days.

"That's sweet of you Mi, but you know it won’t mean anything here…"

How it must have been confusing for him to be around with two Princesses, and having to call one "Your Highness" when he no longer even bothered to pronounce the other's first name in full...

He went on: “All those last months at her service, I really had the impression that something was going on. I thought maybe, if we saved Hyrule together, King Rhoam would end up giving me a title… You know well that social life doesn't interest me in the least, but if only my feelings for her weren't _illegal_ at least … Pfff… I am so stupid to have nurtured this hope. I should have listened to my father: I should have stayed in my proper place… ”

He had turned angrily towards the wall when saying that… I grabbed a blanket from a stack behind me and unfolded it on his back and legs. Hylian people are so sensitive to cold...

"It's only been a few hours, Link, be patient… some of us haven't slept for two days, including you… His Majesty probably has more urgent things to deal with too…"

"I know… I know…! That's not what I’m worried about… I’m just worried he does ennoble me… And then having to face the fact it's not enough…"

His voice was growing more and more mournful as his breathing was slowing.

“Speaking of her father, I'm not even sure she'll get over the fact I had forced her to abandon him. Even though he survived in the end, even though I was only obeying my King’s orders, we still did left him behind… She has asked me to let go of her, but I have _forced_ her to run away. And if it hadn’t been enough, I'm the one who destroyed her little guardian, her childhood friend… I can understand her: what if it was you who had been possessed and she had had to kill you… Maybe I’ve broken her too ... By breaking him ..."

"You had no choice, Link! You did this to protect us…! If one day this happened to me, I sure hope you would stop me from harming you - all of you, I mean - in any way! And I really don't think Her Highness despises you… ”

He didn't answer.

"And if she did, it would be very inappropriate from her to blame you when she could have used her Power to rid Egg from Malice, and so without damaging him. Nobody blames her for having been frozen on spot at that point… I sure hope you won’t begin to condemn yourself for other people limits now! … And if the Princess is afraid of one thing, my guess is she’s afraid of herself, of her own heart, surely not afraid of you… Link? "

I leaned over him: his eyes closed, breathing calmly, he was soundly asleep. In a long breath out, I felt myself deflating like an octo balloon.

There it was, the naked truth, I couldn't pretend anymore not to know: I was not his sweetheart, I would never be… I had hoped that maybe, with me being alive this time, I might have had a chance… The tenderness I was feeling for him as I pulled the blanket up over his shoulders was suffocating, and the tears I had held back through our talk now cascaded freely down my cheeks. And yet this painful discussion had procured me some sort of pride. After all, it was to me that he had come to confide and it was with me that he had come to seek comfort. In this area where he was more vulnerable than in any other, it was around me that he had felt the safer. Whether I liked it or not, I was to him what she would never, ever be.

I was his sister.

###  _ZELDA_

I had donned my expedition outfit. Sleeves, ah! Pants, socks and shoes… what a relief… Link had not lied about his ointment: I had hardly any more pain already… I carefully slipped the small pot into my purse, next to Terrako’s screw…

My quarters would not be accessible by the door for several days at least, maybe even for weeks ... before going back down I gathered some belongings that might come to be useful: my toiletry bag, my hairbrush and barrettes, my coat and some other spare clothes ... I was planning to use one of the sheets to make a bundle.

Not far from my desk I tripped over a dust-covered book. Bending over to pick it up I recognized my diary. Wistfully, I opened it and stroked its pages. Here, my sixteenth birthday, there, the Solstice ball; prayers to the springs, loads of them; the pneumonia that had followed my last trip to Akkala… Oh… my meeting with Link, who was only a soldier at that moment… The whirlwind of conflicting passions the day he has been Chosen by the Sword: I was feeling so unworthy of him because of that, and yet how I secretly rejoiced it was him! Everyone knows what the title of Knight who Seals the Darkness means beyond our Sacred Mission… The last page described our return from the Spring of Courage. It hadn't changed anything about my powers, but Impa’s and Link’s support had meant the world to me. It was them, the genuine Spring of my Courage: my best friend and my … My…

I shut my eyes closed on my upcoming tears, and tossed the book into my makeshift sack. Then I folded the fabric, on side then the other, and wrapped the envelope thus formed across my back. Knotted. Ready to go.

On my way to the Great Hall, I met with Impa:

"Your Highness ! I was told that you had gone to change clothes; I was on my way to come and see if everything was going well. ”

"Impa, I'm glad to see you… Who told you that?" "

“Link did."

"Did he say something else…?" "

“Nothing at all: as usual, he wasn't very talkative. Your Highness, but you are loaded! Let me carry this for you… ”

“No, thank you, Impa. It’s not as heavy as it looks. Tell me though: where can I be of any help? "

"Well, the arrivals of injured fighters has slowed down a lot already. The most serious wounds have been treated first - Princess Mipha is really amazing too, Hyrule is so lucky to have you both - so there are only some minor injuries left for Lady Costella and her team to take care of and, unfortunately, the deceased who have been moved in the basement where they are being identified… ”

The ones I failed to protect...

"So from now on, we are going to requisition the western part of the Great Hall as a refectory. The army’s cook is already preparing something with what he can find among the shared resources. Concerning Gorons on the other hand we are quite annoyed, some of them are already nibbling the loose stones of your castle instead of clearing them… ”

"It doesn't matter Impa. I suggest they help themselves in the quarry if the stone there is to their liking. Where is my Father? "

“Last time we heard of him, he was chopping some fallen trees that prevented access to the supply caravans, between here and the Great plateau."

We had entered the Great Hall. I caught sight of Mipha who was helping Costella with the last of the wounded. Urbosa and Revali, seemingly exhausted, were dozing not far away, waiting for the next instructions. It was touching to see them sitting back to back, knowing they usually couldn’t stand each other ... Link was nowhere to be seen. I suggested to Impa that, together, we’d move the infirmary beds in order to make room for the distribution of rations instead. But we were soon joined by soldiers scandalized to see their Princess subsiding to such low chores, and who almost begged me to let them take care of it.

Defeated by my own army, I was looking for a place to sit down, when I saw a busy bunk, forgotten in a corner afar from the others.

"Princess Mipha? Is there a wounded person at the back of the dais over there?"

Mipha slowly came to me before answering. She was staring at me with unusual confidence.

"Oh, _that one_ … unfortunately I can't do anything for him, Your Highness… my power too has its limits…"

"He ... succumbed ...?"

"No, Your Highness… His body is just fine… When it comes to his heart and his ego however, they are shattered…"

She had said these words slowly and reproachfully before returning to her work. Upset and curious as to know why I should be, I approached the bunk. An obviously Hylian silhouette was lying upon it.

It was Link… I suddenly took Mipha's reproach straight to the heart. I had done so much harm to this being who loved me and whom I loved… Why did I have to make things so complicated? I should have welcomed his affection, cherished it, instead of pushing it away. How could I have thought even for a split second that we would have been weaker together when everything around us was proving me wrong?

Overwhelmed by remorse and exhaustion, I seized a blanket to bundle up in and leaned against the wall beside his mattress: I just wanted to stay close to him… While sitting down, my knee hit the sheath of his Sword. In my distress I grabbed it and hugged it desperately. The Blade that Seals the Darkness across my heart, listening to my beloved Champion’s breathing as a lullaby, I finally surrendered to sleep...

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Still looking for reviewers...  
> Comments would be nice too.  
> Have a nice day!


	3. Time

_"To look at the river which is of water and time and to remember time is another river ..." - Jorge Luis Borges_  
  


*******

###  _LINK_

I opened my eyes on my sleeping Beauty, who was leaning against the wall: was I still dreaming? Stranger still, she was clasping the Mastersword against her chest ... What could have gone through her mind? Girls were definitely the most unpredictable of creatures.

I suddenly became aware of the smell of food hovering in the air, making my empty stomach painfully recall itself to my awareness. After but a few seconds of uncertainty, I gently took Zelda in my arms: one arm under her knees and another wrapped around her shoulders, leaning her against me: my heart leapt to the feeling of her body so close to mine. I carried her easily and laid her on my bunk: luckily she was asleep soundly enough and it did not wake her up. I even took a chance on stroking her golden hair for a moment; having the good fortune to see her features express such a peace was something to treasure. Then I left her, my Sword still between her arms and my blanket now covering her body.

As I was about to go down from the dais, silence fell in the Great Hall. Soldiers and officers riveted their eyes on me and raised one after the other to show me their respect. Abashed, I nervously scratched the back of my head. The quiet was only broken by an impatient muttering and the scraping noises of the seats against the floor. Then by Revali’s silky soft voice:

"Don't let it go to your head, half-pint!" "

"Oh will you shut up, Ravioli?" Urbosa had replied him.

“Go ahead, little guy! Give us a speech!

"But… Just leave him be, all of you! " Daruk, Mipha.

I considered for an instant returning to hide under my blanket, but now was not the time to act like a wild child.

"Thank you. Thanks to all of you. But I don't deserve all this praise: you are the ones who have won this war. And I'm not just talking about the Armies, the Princess or the Champions; I'm talking about the researchers, the nurses, the cooks, the farmers, the blacksmiths, the merchants, the tailors too… Forgive me if I can't name you all, but each and every one of you did matter. I am touched by your welcome, but ultimately I am only the one who gave the final blow so that your Princess could seal Ganon away… I deserve no prestige for that. Everyone is the "Hero of Hyrule" as much as I am, today; I want you to be convinced of that. You are all my brothers and sisters in arms, whatever profession you may have and whatever race or clan you may be, and it is my honour to have fought and won this war by your side. So thank you… ”

On the opposite dais across the Great Hall, King Rhoam nodded in agreement with my words and began to clap slowly. A powerful clamour arose after him in the hall. So embarrassing! I bowed my head briefly to salute them before taking my leave and joined the canteen woman who, accustomed to my appetite and grateful for my words, offered me a copious amount of stew.

###  _ZELDA_

I was a cheerful young girl, full of joy and hopes. With a celestial voice and a golden harp, I was singing an unknown and still strangely familiar melody. Link was there: his face was different, and his gaze was blazing with awe and innocence, but it was him; I was absolutely doubtless about it. He put his hand in mine and dropped to one knee. I ran and leapt towards the Sea of Clouds with no fear and went soaring away, riding an immense blue bird…

" _Spirit of my creator… See…_ " My vision had blurred and a strange voice had echoed within me, in a mysterious language. I was sure I had never heard such a dialect but oddly enough I could understand it perfectly.

I was a Sheikah warrior perching on an ice cliff. Concealing my own face under a wide scarf, I was watching over yet another Link walking through a cave, by the light of… His fairy? A moment later, I was teaching him a song. I saw him running towards me, trying to retain me, craving for my friendship. I blinded him with a light nut and fled reluctantly.

" _We have met again_ _..._ " Said the voice.

I was a woman again. I was holding Link's hand in both mines. I could see adoration in his eyes. I felt my heart being torn apart as I sent the Chosen of the Sword and of my Soul back to another past. Devastated, I collapsed to the ground when he was forever gone. The pain was such it felt as if I had driven a blade through my own chest.

 _"Always, we will meet again ..._ "

I was a fallen Queen. I knelt down and dug my fingers into the mane of a huge wolf; a wolf who was undoubtedly Link. The same determination and the same courage were shining in the depths of his eyes: the Spirit of the Hero...

" _I calculate a 100% probability that we will ..._ "

I was a tanned teenager tomboy. Face and arms lashed in sea spray, I ran barefoot across the deck of my ship, yelling orders to my shipmates. We were Pirates. I was their Captain. Link was standing at the bow; he gave me a knowing wink and, using a strange magic wand, he lifted a west wind for me.

" _No matter the shape ..._ "

I was a doubtful girl facing a stinging blizzard. With my arm before my eyes to protect them from the mordant sleet, I couldn't see how close I had come to the ledge. When my leg sank into the snow and I lost my balance, plunging me into the void. Someone grabbed my hand just in time: Link. _My_ Link. He pulled me sharply from certain death and clasped me so tight to him ... That dream was a memory! It happened right before he took me to safety in the mountain shelter, the day Revali attacked us. Was he already in love with me back then, for having hugged me so desperately…?

" _No matter the era_ _..._ "

I was _myself_ once again. I knew it upon recognizing the slightly older face of _my_ Link: armed with a wooden sword and a foolproof simper, he was practicing parades with our son while our daughters were wading barefoot in the pond, looking for frogs. From the heights of our mountain town, I turned my gaze toward the ruined Hyrule Castle in the distance, remembering the dark days of the Calamity and the century I had spent withholding it back in the Sanctum. A white and gold Rito child landed next to me and asked: "Whaddya think apout, Mom?"

I woke up with a jolt. Did I see the future? No… It wasn’t _my_ future, it was the future of our defeat, the future Teba, Riju, Terrako had come from… Dazed, I sat down and hid my face in my hand, trying to hold back the memories of those dreams: the faces of his incarnations, the face of these children who were mine and yet I will never know… I did not want to forget them…

The Mastersword glowed faintly under my fingers.

" _No matter the timeline ..."_

###  _IMPA_

The two days that had followed our victory had been almost as trying as the two days preceding it. We had to gather supplies to feed five armies (excluding Gorons) with scarce resources at all and most of the roads cut off by the "deeds" of the Divine Beats. I was almost relieved when the Ritos, Gorons and Yigas left, but my joy has been a short-lived one as I learned in the meantime refugees had started flocking back to Castle Town. I was already irked just by assuming their upcoming complaints… At least did it mean His Majesty’s ministers were finally on their way too.

Awaiting their return, I was assisting His Majesty in his duties and had little time to rest. Despite her father's disapproval, Her Highness Zelda insisted on taking part in our work and was given responsibility for inter-ethnic coordination. The King was worried sick about her, and I was too. Besides her deplorable cat-and-mouse game with Link, she seemed particularly thoughtful and distraught, far from the serene and self-confident young woman who had come down from the Sanctum just after having sealed Ganon away.

I had been waiting for the opportunity to chat with her for what seemed like an eternity when at last, one evening, I found her alone in the Hanging Gardens. As if to celebrate our victory, a nice weather seemed to have settled in for a long time: the night felt chilly under the starry sky. The benches had been destroyed during the war and Zelda had sat herself on the ground against a low, half-ruined wall. She was hugging her knees, her gaze lost in the distance.

“Your Highness, I was looking for you!"

"Impa? Are you well? "

"Yes I am, thank you… What about you, Princess, how are you feeling?" I asked, settling upon the low wall next to her. I just noticed the large book she was clutching between her chest and her thighs, and recognized one of the _Books of the Elders_ Saki had just brought back from Kakariko Village. She took a deep breath.

"Everything is fine. I guess."

I got that feeling I would have to draw it out of her. Casually, I tried:

“I haven't seen Link since yesterday morning. His Royal Majesty Your Father would like to speak to him, where have you put your Knight away, again? ". She smiled gently.

“Link is… over there. She was pointing at the forest North-East of Mabe Village and her smile twisted into a disbelieving sneer. “And he's fine. That's all I know. I gave him free time; I guess he went hunting… ”

I did not understand. But I knew her well enough to feel certain she was going to develop.

“I… I can _feel_ the essence of the Mastersword. I’ve _heard_ its voice. _Her_ voice? I knew it could happen, but I had never experienced it myself before. And ever since, I can feel its spiritual _presence_. And its mood. Sort of. Right now, she is at peace, asleep, there is no danger."

"Did you really hear its voice? How does it sound? What did it tell you? "

“She showed me dreams, from our previous incarnations. And she told me, basically… she assured me that… ” She sighed sorely: “I'm sorry Impa I can't tell you more, I'm not even sure I understand everything myself… It was like hearing the voice of a friend whose existence I’d have long unlearned; like remembering a completely forgotten past. Those dreams were so vivid…! They upset me… ”

"I understand…" I told her half-heartedly. "And so, did you settle down here to keep an eye on the Mastersword or to look after its bearer?" I asked playfully to lighten the mood. She gave me an impish smile.

“Neither, Impa: I had come here to read stories from the past, in a quiet place, and to find out more about those dreams. I just forgot that the garden lights had been destroyed… ”She showed me her book and we both giggled nervously when our eyes met.

“Let's go inside then, Your Highness. It is starting to feel a bit nippy out there. "

I held out my hand to help her up. Before following me up, she shot one last glance toward Applean Forest.

###  _ZELDA_

Urbosa had left that morning with her Vais. Her words of congratulations and pride were still echoing within me, and being aware she had once been my late mother’s best friend gave them a bittersweet flavor. Like the three other pilots she had been granted a seat on the Council of Hyrule as a reminder of our forever gratitude. The idea was to establish an abiding collaboration between Hyrulian peoples. Let the New Hyrule be as united in Peace as it had been in war.

Mipha would be the next one to leave, and she was my last chance to seek an answer to my obsessive questioning.

"I’ve been said you wanted to talk to me Your Highness?" She had surprised me daydreaming in the castle garden; as she had appeared from behind me, I assumed that she had a swum a waterfall up to join me. I was anxious… I knew her to be Link's best friend since childhood… I had witnessed Sidon’s admiration and affection for Link, still calling him "My Brother" one hundred years from now... They were family; at least the only family he had left...

"Mipha ... _Princess_ Mipha ... Indeed, I need to talk to you... It’s confidential matter, that’s why I wanted you to meet me here; thank you so much for coming… "

She observed me for a while. Her gaze fell upon my joined hands and her uptight face softened a little. "Of course, your Highness ..."

"First of all, I would like to beg your pardon… I know you share a deep bond with Link, and I realized that by hurting him I have also hurt you. However, I want you to be sure it has never been my intention. I‘ve just been... stupid. I’m blaming myself for what he has been through, more than you can imagine and I promise you, Mipha, that I will do everything within my power and beyond to make amend for my mistakes. I love him. I feel like I've been loving him since the Dawn of Time… ”

We both looked down. She didn't answer and I decided to resume talking. I guess I just needed to let the truth out somehow.

"I just… I can't reach him anymore. He has no confidence left, neither in me nor in himself… I need time, Mipha… So the day I’ll tell him, he can believe me…” The look she gave me bespoke an unfathomable sadness, still she was smiling softly when she finally answered:  
“Thank you, Your Highness. Please take good care of him…”

"I will… I also have a question for you… Mipha, did you discuss the Future with Sidon? "

She was taken aback, voiceless with astonishment: a child caught up stealing off a jar of sweets. She didn’t have to tell: from her reaction I knew she had. I went on actively, trying to hide the tremor in my voice:

"And did you discuss Link's future…?"

“Princess! Even if that were the case, I couldn’t tell you! I was dead in the future, it didn’t matter for me to learn about it; but it would be so wrong if…”

“Mipha, please! I have been having visions…! I need to know if it was this future I saw. This... Alternative reality ... I’m not being nosy, I just need to know if what I’ve seen are really visions shown by the Mastersword or just a fantasy I came up with all by myself. It’s driving me crazy, for all I know maybe I already am!” I paused, trying to calm down, and tried another angle. “I saw a town perched on the mountains, there were windmills, I remember the smell of the sea ... Mipha, please, just tell me: do we live together in Hateno, Link and I?"

She seemed to ponder, unconvinced, then surrendered...

"Yes, Your Highness… in the house where he was born…"

In shock, I put my hand to my mouth, letting a deep breath escape slowly through my fingers… _They were really visions, visions from the future of another world…_

"I've seen children…" I asked her greedily.

She shook her head, "It had only been but a few months after the Calamity was sealed away when Sidon and the others were called to our rescue... Those little things take more time..."

Our conversation did not last long afterwards: I think we both needed to collect ourselves. She asked me if I had seen her brother in my visions and I promised to let her know if it ever happened. She then returned to her tasks, leaving me to mull over that new aspect of my powers...

###  _MIPHA_

I was muddled by Princess Zelda's words. At first, her confession of her feelings for Link had poured cold water on my heart, yet I got over it quickly enough: after all, I had known her feelings for a long time, and hearing them from her own mouth did not change much.

As for her promise to mend his broken heart, I’d rather see it as a relief: even though he did not love me in a romantic way, I only wished him to find happiness at last…

No, what was troubling me was the vision she had spoken of. She had seen herself living in Hateno and raising her children there with Link, as in the Future Sidon had come from: that future where Hyrule had been in ruins for a hundred years, this future where I had died against the Waterblight.

The fact that Sidon and the others had come from such a future was one thing… But we had already changed the past! The other three Champions, King Rhoam, and I were all safe and sound! This future full of regrets and tears should no longer exist!

But in that case ... To where did Riju, Teba, and Yunobo return? Did they even know if they would ever be born in this altered future? Do you die when you try to return to a future you never existed in the first place? And then how could it be their memories hadn't been remodelled as we were changing the course of events?

How could it be that in Zelda's recent visions as in Sidon's memories, she and Link were living a happy married life _one hundred years from now_ , knowing their life expectancy was so short compared to Zora’s ... Sidon had told me what the Princess had had to do in the former past, after Link had fallen mostly dead at her feet and without me to heal him… She had sealed herself away with Ganon for one hundred years waiting for Link to return to life, that’s why they were still so young in the former future. But that future no longer existed! No! It could not! No way!

I was boiling inside: I’ve been so focused on my brother Sidon and on my own feelings for Link that these questions and these inconsistencies had completely passed me by. I remembered our goodbye:

"I suppose… That one day or another, we'll meet again…" I had told him.

A shadow had passed behind his eyes. He had stopped and sighed before answering:

“Yes… I will always be by your side, I promise you, my dear sister. "

The Princess… What words had she used already? " _This ... Alternative reality ..._ "

I fell on my knees, finally opening my eyes to the unthinkable… We did not change the future: we created another one. My brother was not speaking of himself, he was speaking of his alter-ego of my time: the little Sidon, who was going to grow up beside me and would one day become the proud and beautiful Prince I missed so much. He hadn't lied: he would always be by my side. But in his own point of view, this Sidon from the future had looked into his sister's eyes for the very last time, and had gone back to a reality where I was long dead.

“Oh, Sidon…!’’ My heart clenched so hard at the thought of how he must have felt, I wondered for a moment if one could die of a broken heart.

He had hidden his grief from me to protect me one last time, and had gone back to a reality where no one had come to save me ... I finally understood why his expression often seemed so mournful. Behind his disproportionate enthusiasm and the dazzling smile he displayed to give us courage, my little brother was aching. He knew that nothing he could do could ever give him back his sister.

Had he at least found some sort of peace, having been able to know me a little more? Having been able to spare these trials for his other self? Or, on the contrary, was he all the more regretful for not being the lucky one living in the “good” future? … No… not Sidon… he could never wish the struggle had fallen on another one rather than on him. He was too selfless and too brave for that …

I thought about Zelda’s visions. I just had to close my eyes for a moment to imagine them: Link happy far from the pompous castle ways of life, surrounded by a shoal of children I never could have given him ... And my brother, their uncle at heart, teaching them how to swim like authentic little Zoras. Maybe there was no good or bad future after all...

As my brother had done so well, I tried to contain my emotions. I had to organize the repatriation of the troops and of Ruta, as we could not use Egg’s teleportation anymore. I wanted to find my little Sidon as soon as possible: from now on, I should give him every hug twice.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Here is chapter 3. Chapter 4's translation is twisted af...  
> Fi, my friend, I'm so sorry for your pronouns!  
> Also sorry for hurting Mipha again, but she had to figure out at some point... :'(


	4. Throne

_“Come let us haste, the stars grow high, But night sits monarch yet in the mid sky.”  
― John Milton_

********

###  _ZELDA_

My father's Private Study was not a place I had often had the opportunity to visit. It was there he usually came to be alone, and especially when in the past he had felt the need to brood over his grief as a widower or over his disappointment with me. But that day, he had invited me to come in, had made me sit down opposite to him and had put down a small glass of apple brandy in front of each of us.

"My daughter… I will never have enough words to encompass how regretful I am for having treated you so unworthily all those past years… nor the ones to convey how proud I am of you. Hyrule has only found salvation in your dedication and your kindness…"  
"Father, I… "  
“I know what you are going to say: you are going to tell me about your allies, about the help you received from each and every people of Hyrule. I know all this, I am filled with gratitude for my whole Kingdom. But it was you who joined them together; it was you who led them to victory. Even your strange relic you said had travelled through time to our rescue: if you hadn't assembled it so long ago, your mother and yourself ... Oh, Zelda, how I wish she could see the woman you have become... she would be so proud of you… So very proud of you…”

For a moment he lost himself in his melancholy, then resumed: “My daughter, if I am still alive, it’s only thanks to you… And I’m resolved to use this chance to make amend for what I have taken from you… But Hyrule owes you this victory, and in the eyes of our people, as you had been in the eyes of your mother since your very birth, you are already the Queen…”

I did not know how to respond: was he proposing me to ascend to the throne right now? I took a sip of brandy and almost choked on the acrid taste of the beverage. He was right, in a way; I had felt it too: the united people of Hyrule had not followed their King into the final battle, they had followed me… However, I did not yet feel ready to assume the political management of the Kingdom on my own. “I feel blessed to have been able to honour both you and my title, Father. But I hope I will still have a long time to thrive under your reign." 

He smiled kindly. “A part of me would like to humbly let you have my seat on the throne, at once… the other part of me only wish I could be able to restore your Childhood years, sacrificed on the altar of Duty. I pray the Goddesses I’ll live long enough to offer you at least a few years of respite... Would you consent to assist me in political life though? To spend more time with your old father, so that he can teach you his Royal Manoeuvres? The tone of his voice sounded more fatherly than royal, and I accepted gratefully. After all those years focused on Prayer, it was past time I was taught in the ways of Ruling; better to learn these matters from the very best.

After a few minutes of a more relaxed discussion, he finally asked me with uncertainty: "My dear Zelda... All the versions of events that have been reported to me, including yours, corroborate the fact your Holy Powers have awoken while trying to save your Appointed Knight’s life… ”  
"Yes Father… he was in a critical situation and… we couldn't allow him being sacrificed: as the Chosen Hero he was far too important to our cause…”

And he was, in truth, even though that was not the reason why my powers had awakened for him… My Power had awakened because I could not bear the thought of his death: I would rather have died with him! King Rhoam too had offered his own life to buy mine: how could I possibly confess to my own Father, my King and only left parent, that I loved this boy more than I loved him?

“It was _Duty_ then…” he said with a heavy sigh, “I thought… Well never mind… This brings me to another topic that I have to discuss with you… After all those years urging you about your powers, be sure I’m exceedingly reluctant to push you before another of the responsibilities of your birth. But you are the only heiress of your mother and the only female heiress of the Blood of Hylia… you are now seventeen years old and therefore… Old enough to find a husband, in order to bequeath the Blood of the Goddess in your turn… ”

At these words, my mind turned toward Link again. I thought back of his embrace under the stars in Blatcherry plains, I recalled every act of bravery, every move of tenderness he had had for me since our meeting ... His kind eyes I wanted to lose myself in, the relentless determination I could read on his face in moments of dire need… I wouldn't want anyone else in the world. The vision of _my husband_ playing with our son in Hateno in that other future flashed before my eyes for a second: I felt my heart race and the heat rising on my cheeks was telling me I might certainly be blushing. Faced with my sheepish speechlessness, my father went on.

"I’m assuming of course that this war was not the optimal context for you to meet suitable, err, suitors... But I had to warn you: contenders may soon flock to the castle to court you. May Nayru’s Wisdom guide your heart…” 

###  _LINK_

A day and a night alone into the wild had done me the greatest good. Maybe I could blame it on having grown up among Zoras, but spending time near a stream always brought me peace; devouring fresh grilled fish without bothering to watch my manners too. After a serene night gazing at the stars, I spent a good part of my day feasting upon as many trouts as I could catch. Then I just paddled in the water for a long time, while my freshly washed clothes dried on an apple tree branch, in the warm late summer’s sun.

Upon my arrival at the Castle, I was greeted by Mipha who was waiting for my return with visible anxiety. At first she tried to make me believe she just wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, but she seemed so exhausted and distressed I couldn’t gobble it. I was as stubborn as a flathead grey mullet and she ended up confessing to me what was bothering her. She had only just understood that the big Sidon had gone back to his own future, where she no longer existed, instead of going but further in our own time; she was feeling silly for not having understood earlier, and heartsick on his behalf. I took her in my arms for a long time, soothing her as she had done so often for me when I was a young fry: _until the fountain of her tears had drained out_ , as she used to say then… She seemed to feel better when she finally left. She made me promise not to wait another six years to come back to visit her at Zora’s Domain, this time.

As I was heading toward my quarters, Impa came to me and told me His Royal Majesty urgently required my presence at the Library. The Throne Room having been destroyed during our fight, The King now exercised his power there. Faced with my worried look, Impa reassured me:  
"Don't worry like that, you ninny! He just wants to talk to you before you leave tomorrow… Ah, yes! I didn't tell you, but the Princess wishes to spend a few days at the Royal Ancient Lab and obviously she's not going without her bodyguard. The two of you will be alone, however; without the rest of the guards. My doing - honestly, you should thank me! The countryside has regained its quiet and between you and me, as I told the King, even if it had not, the two of you don't need anyone to protect you. By the way, where the heck have you been while _we_ were working? You smell like fish ..."

I was still wondering if my so-called fish smell was due to my recent diet or my goodbye hug to Mipha when we got to the Library. The King had installed a chair at the top of the back staircase as a substitute to his throne: he seemed so fond of overlooking his subjects... Impa announced my arrival then went to stand aside. I knelt down before my King, and bowed my head respectfully. These high-sounding formalities, yet easily forgotten on the battlefield, had quickly reclaimed their rights here in the castle.

"Link… Hero of Hyrule… You have valiantly fulfilled your duty, not only as the Sword’s Chosen Hero but also as my dear Zelda’s Appointed Knight. My officers have been full of praise about you: they told me of the many times you put your life on the line to protect Zelda or to help your comrades in arms. I heard your discourse the other day, as you well know. Your humility is admirable, my boy, but I want you to be sure I will notallow anyone to forget what our Kingdom owes you. "  
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Your kind words honour me, yet I have only done my duty… ”  
I heard the king sigh with annoyance: " _Duty_ or not ... I want to reward you. However, nothing that I can think of can equal the service you have rendered to your homeland. So may I ask you straightforwardly: what do you aspire to, Link? What should I bestow upon you? "

I tried to calm my agitation. The idea of asking him directly for his daughter's hand, as in children's tales, crept through my mind for a split second: no, no! He certainly wasn't the one who should grant me her affection... All I would ask was the right to conquer it by myself… I took a deep breath.  
“Your Majesty… I see no material possession, not any wealth to ask of you… Knowing the Kingdom at peace and your daughter safe are my greatest rewards…” The lump in my throat almost prevented me from swallowing. I silently called on Farore's Courage. "However, Your Majesty… there is indeed something I’d want you to grant me…"  
“Well come on, do talk, my boy. What is it?"  
"I would like ... a higher title of Nobility..."

The King frowned and looked at me gravely. "I'm sorry my boy, but out of all the things ..." He got up and began to pace nervously, scowling. "It is impossible for me to accede to such a request!" He seemed more and more angry every second: as if I had asked him to share supper with a rat. I lowered my gaze to the floor where I was still kneeling, clenching my fist until it shook.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty." I wasn't even able to wait for him to dismiss me. A torrent of disappointment and shame pushed me to my feet and I stormed out of the room.

###  _IMPA_

Link had just rushed out of the library before the eyes of the baffled King. I took my friend's place in the middle of the aisle:  
"Your Majesty! Permission to follow him to sort this out? "  
"Do you realize what this _brat_ just suggested? "  
"Yes Your Majesty ... But that does not resemble him... I think there has been a misunderstanding ..."

He hesitated. Even from down here I could see his nostrils flaring in indignation.  
"Granted. But come back and report to me immediately after. Whatever the time."  
“At your command, Majesty." And I started running after Link.

Knowing which direction he had gone was not going to be easy, but nothing is impossible for a trained Sheikah! First intersection: without any hesitation, I took the right lane where his fishy smell still lingered in the air. At the second one, it was the dumbfounded gaze of some maids that guided me in the direction to follow… I had lost his trace in the gardens but then was tipped off by a noise of broken pottery, coming from the gardeners shed!

In a controlled slide I stopped at the doorframe: inside the shed it was indeed Link: in his fury, he was frantically smashing terracotta pots with his bare -and already bloody- fists. Neat, really! There was one single thing Ganon's minions hadn't destroyed and he had to be the one doing it!

“LINK! Damn it what the hell are you doing !? STOP!"

In response, he threw another pot against the wall. I went up to him and gave him a good nudge in the stomach before immobilizing him, his face on the floor and his arms behind his back: a move my clan had the secret of.

“I said CALM DOWN!”

He forced himself out of my grip and straightened up onto his knees. He seemed to have regained some of his senses however.  
"Well! Explain yourself, now! "  
"There is nothing to explain ..."  
"No problem! Don't tell, then! But I advise you to go pack your things very quickly and to disappear from the region, because His Majesty is not going to let you off! "

Still kneeling in the dirt, he eyed me, looking as miserable as a beaten dog...  
"I'm sorry… I should have stayed in my place… It would surely be better if I left, yes… Anyway, my mission is over. I no longer belong here now I’m not needed anymore… ”

The Chosen Hero looked like he was falling apart, both inside and out. I grabbed his arm, just above his elbow, and told him more gently.  
"Hey… You're not going to do that to our Zelda, are you?"

I knew he had feelings for her: even a blind goron would have seen he had. His face turned to me in agony: under his eyes and down his cheeks, silent tears reflected the faint glow that filtered into the shed.  
"It's precisely because of her I have to leave… I can't, Impa… I can't stay there and be around her without ever touching her again, without any hope of fixing what I've broken… I won't be able to watch her marry another guy, I’d go crazy! It's beyond my strength… I wish I had died fighting. At least she would have kept fond memories of me ..."  
"But what are you talking about? Did you at least discuss it with her? "  
“No need to discuss something that cannot exist. _Field rats_ like me _don't marry princesses_. He hid his face in his hand. “It was only for her that I wanted a title. It wouldn't have fixed things between us, but at least it would have been _legitimate_ for me to try, you see… He denied me this right and I think it speaks for itself… ”  
"But hey, Link…" I tried to interrupt.  
"Don't pretend you’re surprised, Impa… I never meant to eavesdrop but I've heard you, talking with Zelda about how scandalous it would be if she fell in love with a commoner like me. You are aware of that as well as I am, both of you: I’m not well-bred enough for her. How could she let me believe that..."

He released his arm from my grasp in a twist and, in a feat of anger, flew yet another pot against the wall. I grabbed him more firmly, his wrist this time, and moved in front of him to force him to listen to me. With my other hand I slapped him hard to put his cogs back in place.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME???” He stopped, startled. "You idiot! You brainless moronic idiot! I remember this small talk with Her Highness: we had just met you then, you moron! Things have changed since that day, damn it! Don't you have the slightest idea what this Sword you're wielding represents?’’ I didn't even let him time to answer. "It's the Mastersword, you dimwit! Forged by the Goddess Hylia for her Chosen Hero! A chosen Hero who later married the First human Incarnation of the Goddess! ”

He was looking at me dully without understanding, I had to refrain myself from slapping him again... “You carry the sword of the First King of Hyrule, founder of a thousands-year-old dynasty… According to legends if the Sword chose you, it is because you are the actual reincarnation of its first Master! When I see how senseless you are I have to admit I strongly doubt it! But Zelda’s Ancestors believed in it: do you think they would have been stupid enough not to ensure that their future incarnations could find each other? According to one of the oldest Laws of Hyrule, the _Knight who seals the Darkness…_ Only owes allegiance to the King and Queen and to their first heir. In other words, no matter how low born you could have been, the instant you pulled this sword from its pedestal, there was no one worthier than you in the whole Kingdom! And the only higher title King Rhoam could have given you is HIS OWN!! You mooncalf! You just asked him to abdicate in your favour, you dense slug!! "

I slapped him again, for form. The whites of his eyes were red with his woe, and his cheeks, still flushed from my blows were muddy with tears and dirt. He was staring at me blankly: the information seemed to take a long time to reach his brain and it was not all bad because in truth, his status would have given him the right to have my head cut off on the spot for how I had just treated him.

"Is it… True? Are you meaning it…? I can’t believe you… "  
"Do you really think I could joke about such a thing at such a time?!" I barked at him. He finally let out a long breath, and a smirk appeared on his face.  
"… I didn't have a clue… Not the slightest clue… You're right Impa: I really am an idiot…"

And upon those simple words, he put his arms on my shoulders and began to cry in relief; or was he laughing? I could not even tell… Almost moved - _almost_ only - I thoughtfully patted him on the back. "Oh boy, what now…? Come on, get a grip on yourself, birdbrain: we have to explain this to His Majesty now.  
  
And for the love of Nayru, you do stink, Link… ”

###  _RHOAM_

Impa came back after a while with that brash Link: dirty, ragged and bloody, he now looked like a street urchin. He took his place again in the middle of the hallway, one knee on the ground beside Impa, with his head humbly bowed. With a wave of my hand, I authorized my Assistant to speak.

“Your Majesty, I bring you back the Sword’s Chosen Hero, in whose name I implore you the greatest mercy. To come to the point, he had no idea of the privileges and social status that his title of Master of the Sword already gave him, and he considered himself a simple soldier of low extraction. We can certainly reproach him being utterly unschooled but he’s not a threat to your reign. I would vouch for him at the cost of my own life, Your Majesty. "

Impa was an insightful and dedicated advisor. She had my absolute trust and her words softened my indignation. The brat had briefly looked up at her, his brow furrowed as if surprised by her words.

“Thank you, Impa. Knight, you seem surprised. Do you confirm what she just stated about you? "   
"It's just that… Yes Your Majesty. I beg your pardon for the affront I made to you without knowing. Lady Impa explained everything to me… I can assure you that I never had any lust for power… ”

I knew he had been raised up among the Zora People whose hierarchical system was very different, but even so…!  
"But I’d be damned, boy! How can the Master of the Blade himself not know what it involves?"  
"I must be an idiot, Majesty. I just knew the Blade of Evil’s Bane was needed to fight off the Calamity. The moment when I pulled it out of the stone, I only did because it was my only chance to protect your daughter... I then endorsed the responsibilities that came with it. I did not seek if it could give me other advantages than its purifying magic..."  
"Well it’s very commendable if it's true… Did you know at least that if the Sword hadn't deemed you worthy, you would have lost your life trying to take it out?"  
“Yes I had heard about that, My Liege."  
"But you did take that risk all the same, without gaining anything in return?"  
"It's… I didn't really have a choice! Protecting Princess Zelda felt like a sufficient benefit...! I mean… wouldn’t we be all doomed without her anyway? "

"Watch your tone, boy! There is one more point that puzzles me: since you are supposedly so selfless, why did you ask for the privileges of a nobility title and why did my refusal put you in such a state?"  
"Your Majesty, I…" He looked embarrassed and I thought I had unveiled his deceit. “I just wanted to be legally worthy of courting the woman I love, Sir."

I was starting to understand, and it was my turn to feel like an idiot. Since he still saw himself as a low-born knight, Zelda was completely inaccessible to him...  
"Are you talking about my own daughter, the Princess of Hyrule? You just confessed you had been prone to save her life without a single thought for yours, and I’ve caught the way you’re keeping an eye on her at every moment, either on the midst of battle or here in the castle. Believe it or not, but I used to be young and to know such feelings. ”

The boy looked up at me dolefully before lowering his face again:   
“Yes, Your Majesty. She is the one I’m talking about."  
“Does she know…?"  
“Yes, Sir."  
“Does she share these feelings?"

The fierce hero I had initially summoned to offer him a reward had looked more and more miserable as he answered my questions; but then, when he turned his eyes towards me, they were shining with a boundless determination:  
"… Unfortunately this question is to be included in the huge list of things I completely ignore, Your Majesty."

I dismissed them both and joined my Study to brood over these new upheavals. This Link ... whose heroism I had myself recognized to the point of entrusting him my daughter’s life, had been chosen by the Sword, then had won the adulation of my people in but a few weeks, had awoken Zelda’s Powers when apparently nothing else in the world could, and today my most faithful advisor would have put her life on the line without hesitation to take his defence. In fact, had he really wanted to overthrow me, he wouldn't have had any trouble to do so. Was he even aware of it? All he seemed interested in was whether or not he could win the heart of the Princess as well. Ah, Youth... 

Another thing I was sure of: if this boy was supposed to succeed me on the throne alongside my daughter, we would first have to severely fill the gaps in his scholarship.

###  _ZELDA_

Evening was falling over Hyrule Field. I had come back to lean against my little stone wall in my garden: I brought a large blanket this time, so I could endure the cold a little longer, and I had already bundled myself up in it. I felt the presence of the Sword drawing closer: our connection had faded a bit during Link’s absence, but since he had returned to the castle, I was feeling it more strongly again. That’s how I knew it was him when he arrived.

"Link…" I said without looking back.  
"Your Highness… I do hope you did not know it was I because I smell like fish!"  
“What? Hmm no! Why?” I had turned toward him, smiling in my puzzlement.  
"Oh… it's complicated…" He said with a scowl while scratching the back of his head. "May I stay with you for a moment?"  
"Of course, Link…! Please, do come…"

He laid down the sheathed Sword against the wall. As he was approaching, I noticed some recent sores on both his hands.  
“Link…! What happened?” I could see he was searching for words as he sat down right to me.  
“… I fought against some pots and I lost. I have no doubt that one day, Impa will be delighted to tell you all about this humiliating defeat, but she already gave her word not to say anything about it… Until I can solve… Well, something… ”

Curiosity was gnawing at me but I did not dare to insist… He could be so mysterious sometimes… I opened my purse, took out his little jar of miraculous ointment, and showed it to him from the top of the blanket… "Could your ointment help or does it only work on blisters?"  
"It could, yes, thank you: blisters, cracks, scratches… all the small sores…"

He reached out his devastated hand to take the pot, but I quickly hid it under the blanket to keep it out of his reach.  
“No, Link. _You_ , give me your hand. Let me take care of it…” I moved nearer to him and took my arms out of the blanket; holding his hand delicately in mine, I began to apply the ointment to his scrapes, as gently as I could. It wasn't the first time I had taken care of him like this, but it had been a while now, since it had last happened… Powerful Din, how I could have missed his touch!

I sighed at the extent of his wounds: besides cuts and scrapes, his hand was seriously bruised ... "As a matter of fact it's the one day you’re not wearing your gloves, that you go slaying pottery ..." He laughed lightly with unease. As usual, he did not flinch at all from pain: I could feel his gaze on me, either on my hands or on my face, and I had to do my best to avoid looking back at him, so as not to be even more confused. I hoped that the twilight would conceal how much I might be blushing…

When I was done, he let his hand rest in mine a few moments longer than needed, the tips of his fingers lightly brushing my wrist… My heart was beating wildly in my chest, feeling like the wing beats of a panicked bird. My voice cracked when I said:  
"Let me see the other one now, Link…" He complied and I began treating his second hand in the growing darkness. Oh, I was going to take my time for this one, my love...

His bruised hand still in mine, I thought back of the visions the Blade had shown me. I had not yet spoken to him about them: I needed to let my thoughts and emotions repose, to see them more clearly; my discussion with Mipha had helped me a lot too… Still, opening to him was a trial: would he even believe me? And if so, couldn't he feel spied on? It was already so uncomfortable to talk about it with a long-time friend, I was dreading having this discussion with him ... _Oh Farore, please give me Courage_...

"Link… do you remember the other day when I fell asleep with your sword?"  
"Yes of course… I was the one who put you on my bunk when I got up if that's what you're wondering. I thought it would be more comfortable than the floor and the wall…"

When I had woken up, I had been so astounded with my dreams that before he pointed it out to me, I hadn't even realized I had been moved in my sleep at all.  
"No… No, that's not it… Link… The Mastersword… I heard her voice. She showed me dreams, and since then, I feel her presence, wherever you take her…” I looked away shyly. He did not say a word. “In those visions I saw some of our previous incarnations, and they were so real, Link… I _was_ them; I was in their skin, thinking with their head, feeling with their heart… It’s only from your face that I could tell if I was me or another Zelda, with another Hero… ”

In my dismay I had come up to my knees, facing him. He must have read the anguish in my voice and my gestures, for he slid the hand I had been treating up my forearm, and gripped it gently. “So lucky I was there, then.” He said with a soft smile and a wink. I had not finished my confession, I shook my head:  
"No… I saw you, and you have suffered so much because of me, Link! For millennia, literally… You used to be so pristine, so light-hearted, but millennia of hardships have battered your soul, all because of me. And yet in this life too, I have hurt you, all by myself… I’m so sorry… Will you ever forgive me…? "

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he took my hand in both his, looked straight into my soul and said:  
“If I had the choice to be absolutely whoever I wanted, wherever and whenever I wanted, I would choose to be exactly me. Whatever the cost may be, I wouldn't trade my place by your side for the world, Princess Zelda. "

At his answer I collapsed on myself, blown away. I did not deserve this boy. Nothing I could do or say in my whole life could change that. I resumed my seat, leaning against the wall. Very close to him. I pulled the blanket up to my neck and made myself as tiny as possible to hide the tears I felt coming up. "Oh, Link…" I started without being able to continue.

"Thank you…" He whispered in my stead, "I’ve missed this… your care, I mean. I’ve really, really missed this.” In response I offered him a chunk of my blanket and leaned against his arm, my head now resting on his shoulder. His presence made me feel limp; his warmth, his male scent I could have recognized among a million others… I wanted to surrender myself to his arms forever. "Stay with me a little longer, please…" He didn't need to be asked twice and curled up in the blanket beside me, pressing his neck and cheek against the top of my head. 

I felt cradled in absolute safety, and I knew my lax body would soon be unable to resist sleep. I told him: "You should take back your ointment in case you need to apply more tomorrow ..."  
Under the blanket, he opened his hand and I put mine in it, in addition to the small jar. I did not intend to take it back, ever... With delight I felt his warmth radiating between his skin and mine; I dared to slip one of my fingers between two of his and he responded to the prompt by brushing lightly my hand. Such a subtle, secret caress and yet I felt so loved...

I closed my eyes to my Kingdom: for a dreamy moment just before I fell asleep, I felt as if I only existed by his touch. “Link… I’ve missed you too…”

###  _LINK_

The waning gibbous Moon bathed Hyrule in its icy light: from where we were, I could still see the blueish shapes of Hebra’s Peak and Lindor’s Brow detach themselves from the sky. Between them, one of the Ancient Pillars that had risen during the war shone blue and gold, as if to ensure its renewed loyalty to the Royal Family. I was not sleepy at all: my mind was still burdened with everything that had happened that afternoon; everything that had been said or done; all it could mean for me…

When my sleeping princess had started slipping off my shoulder, I had lifted my arm to welcome her against my heart, wrapping her head and shoulders with my other arm and tucking my thighs under her body to support her spine. I had somehow managed not to awake her in the process; I had even been able to slip my jar of ointment into her pouch when her hand had rolled out of mine. I wanted her to keep it, either in case she needed it for herself, or to take care of me... She was sleeping so peacefully in this nest I had made for her with my whole body: taking my eyes off her from time to time was all I could do so as not to explode with love.

Although I had been able to pull her plaid up to her shoulder, the upper part of my own body was no longer covered: the damp cold of the night felt prickly on my shoulders, contrasting uncannily with Zelda's warmth. I was stiff and weary too, from having to keep my position. However, I refused to break the spell; I had known so much worse, anyway: cuddling her so close to me made any discomfort definitely worth it. I dozed like this all night. I even think I had been able to get some true sleep. But it was a tough fight against myself until the early hours of morning.

###  _ZELDA_

I woke up confused and disoriented, wrapped in his arms, at the first lights of day. I would have loved not to panic like this, not to get up so quickly ... To be able to enjoy it a little longer. Link stretched out his legs and drew some circles with his arms and shoulders before getting up too. He stood there, looking at me lovingly, and held out my blanket to me.

We had to leave each other to get prepared for our trip. I did not hesitate for long: I crossed the short distance between us and instead of taking the plaid from his hand, I took refuge close to him for a moment longer. My arm had slid along his side and he held me just as lightly for a blissful instant. Then, he unfolded the blanket and covered my shoulders with it, as to make me a cloak: how could he be always so thoughtful and obliging? Burying my nose in the crook of his neck, I took one last deep breath of the sweet scent of his skin.

"Thank you so much, for everything…" I only said. I gave him a tender look and a smile before running off to hide my blushing face.

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been so freaking happy to have Link smash some pots oh my gosh...  
> Next chapter will be my favorite because it has Purah, mighty bananas liquor and Sheikah alphabet.  
> Comment if you're not a ghost, share if you too love smashing pots.


	5. Science

_"Science is still seeking, Love has found." - Henry Miller_

*********

###  _ZELDA_

My father had granted me a few weeks of freedom to use as I saw fit. I had decided to spend a few days at the Ancient Lab with Purah and Robbie: I intended to entrust them with the Sheikah Slate for a check-up, as most of its runes weren’t functioning anymore; but above all, we were to make an inventory of what was left of Terrako, in order to study our possibilities of rebuilding him… Impa would be staying with my father for now but she was expected to join us two days later to write out an accounting report. Of course, Link was coming with me…

Since last night, he seemed more relaxed: pensive at times, cautious around me perhaps, but not as formal and distant as he had been at the end of the war... It was so pleasant to have him walking by my side and not on my heels anymore. I longed for his touch, but he looked stupendously exhausted… Had he even slept…?

I decided to focus my thoughts on the work that was laying ahead. The first step consisted in a complete inventory of all the parts that we had found. We should have to start by disassembling each mechanism apart - scrupulously taking notes for a future reassembling - cleaning them for the next step then checking their integrity, listing them all and comparing this list to the notes Robbie and Purah had taken when Terrako was still working… Fix what we could fix… Find a replacement for what we could not… A tremendous task. I was anxious at the thought we could end up missing too many parts to hope for reassembling him one day. Given our still partial understanding of ancient technology and of his own in particular, the more parts we changed the more we risked that, if we could finally wake him up, it would no longer be _our_ Terrako. _My_ Terrako ...

The uneventful walk to the Lab felt strangely quiet after months of being attacked by monsters at every corner; we arrived at sunset. Although mostly sound and functional, the Lab had yet suffered from the war: outside the building, volunteers were busy consolidating the weakened masonry and repairing the roof. Purah greeted us with her usual enthusiasm, along with all the members of her research team: the few Yigas who had once been infiltrating the Lab had been hired again: "Hell yeah! They were doing a very good job before threatening to cut our throats!" Robbie had said laughingly. "They know their business well, and they're not that bad after all… Otherwise we wouldn't be here to discuss it with you anymore! Hahaha”. It was for sure quite unsettling but I was already fond of this new Hyrule…

We took possession of our respective quarters. Link, who on his first visit had been housed in the military tent with the rest of my Guard, seemed disconcerted to be offered the small bedroom just next to mine. Since his first visit, he had not only become the Sword’s Chosen One but also the Hero who had slain the Calamity: he could not hide how hard it was for him to get used to his new status.

His hands were already looking a lot better; I was almost disappointed with the effectiveness of his ointment, having no excuse to take care of him tonight... I reminded me how my heart had once again leapt with joy this morning, when I had found the ointment in my own pouch: I could understand all too well what he had meant by this… Anyway, he went to bed particularly early ... The next morning, breakfast was taken in the common refectory and the first day of work could finally start.

###  _LINK_

I had planned to join the masonry team, in order to clear my head, and to keep a physical exercising: a few days without a fight and I could already feel myself softening ... The evening before we left, I had known the thrill of getting back _my_ Zelda: the zealous but caring Princess I knew before the Calamity; and even more! I was so grateful for those affectionate touches we had shared, for those sweet words we had exchanged, and for what I had seen as an apology for what had happened back then in Necluda… And what a relief for me to think I could almost consider her as an equal, and not as a _half-goddess_ is to a _field rat_ anymore. However, I dared not be too warm or daring for fear that she would fret and reject me again… If it happened again, this time for sure, it would break my heart for good. And then following my mishap with the King, I was determined to show my good will by a professionally irreproachable attitude.

But when I heard them discussing at breakfast I finally figured out the reason for our stay: Terrako. Terrako! His name was on everyone's lips. They were talking about an inventory, harmonic capacitors, rune chips, ancient smart cogs, or archaeonic timer processors ... You might as well talk to me in Bokoblish. But I had to be in: if it was for Terrako I had to be in!

Purah intercepted me in the middle of the lab workshop, and I explained to her that I absolutely needed to help them, in any way I could.  
"No way, Link… You’ve got no training in this! Thanks for having escorted the Princess and saved the World but ya work ends here… what we have to do now is highly technical…"  
"I can learn fast, I assure you."  
"Listen Dude… you’re the best _male_ fighter I know; I can even go as far as to assume you _might_ be better than my little sis! It’s not something I’d say lightly! Got a lot of respect for you, but I can’t picture you in a scientist's gown any more than I’d see myself in armour! Everyone has their own job, buddy… Even Impa who on top of that was _also_ a brilliant student is not going to take part in this, that’s to say! So recruiting an untaught soldier sounds like a… ”  
"You are suggesting I am too stupid to be here, basically ..."  
"Oh dear, that’s not what I said… Just… Well maybe there's a bit of that, but…"  
" Wow…"

She had meant it as a jest, I knew it, but I was sick of being called an idiot by Sheikahs: that spoke to me as if I was an annoying brat and right after that, that was astonished I was not aware of my rank! Wreck-it! Defensively, I looked away, clenching my jaw to keep some nasty words from coming out… I had grown used to getting banters from Purah or Impa and didn't really care; in fact most of the time this straightforward companionship made me feel comfortable, reminding me of the army that had as good as raised me. However, not only did her remark echo with my existential crisis of the previous day, but I was also aware that Zelda, who was busy working at a desk to my right, was a silent witness to our whole conversation. Humiliated, I wished I could disappear like a Yiga ...

“Hey, Link? Purah was surprised at my sudden silence. "Listen I'm sorry but ..."  
“No, _you_ 're going to listen to _me_. You weren’t there on the battlefield that day, indeed. You weren't there when Terrako attacked us neither; and above all, Purah, you are not the one who had to destroy him to prevent him from slaughtering the people you love! I blame myself; I blame myself terribly, every moment of every day since then. I blame myself for what I’ve done to him, I blame myself for hurting Zel… Her Highness… and he was my friend too, darn! I got attached to him: can you imagine how it feels like, having to kill _someone_ you care for…? Of course you can’t! But for Nayru’s sake, if you are so _overly smart_ shouldn’t you be able to understand what it would mean for me to help you fix what I have done?! I’m just asking for a chance to make amend…!” My voice was quivering with rage and pain.

"Link…" Zelda must have come closer as I was speaking because she was now standing right behind me. She took another step forward and put a hand on my clenched fist, instantly smothering my anger; leaving only my guilt. I did not even dare to face her gaze... As moved by a will of its own, my hand opened in her palm and my fingers slipped between hers with greed. She answered by gently squeezing our entwined hands. My good resolution to act professionally had been as frail as a Blight within her Light.

"Link… you have nothing to blame yourself for… He was possessed by Ganon, you did the only right thing to do. If you are the one who did it, it’s only because you were the only one with enough courage to, that's all. Nobody blames you for it, especially not me, I never have. And I'm sure even Terrako himself, he would have been grateful for you to stop him. I know it, deep within my heart, Link."

I had been in such a need to hear those words from her that I could have cried upon hearing them. Fondling her hand with my thumb, I say quietly, just for her:

“Thank you, Your Highness… But I still blame myself. That's enough.” I finally turned my face toward hers: her flushed cheeks made the green of her eyes shine, there was so much kindness in the smile she gave me… I had to deploy treasures of self-discipline to suppress my urge to hold her.  
"I know… I blame myself too. And now I blame myself for letting you carry this all by yourself. Locking her gaze into mine, she blinked slowly with both her eyes and melted my heart.

“Hey, Lovebirds! Check-it, I’m - still - heeeere… ” Interrupted Purah.

Bashfully, I opened my clutch to release our hands from their embrace, but my Princess squeezed hers a little tighter to hold me back; I accepted her bidding gratefully.  
"Purah please,” she told “I would also love it if he could join us ... You owe him for protecting you when you decided to cross Blatcherry battlefield with a torch as only weapon ... You are in a bad position to tell him now that everyone must stay in their place ... And if I am not mistaken, you were quite happy when he went to secure your ancient devices for you, or for the fact he threw himself into the unknown whenever you needed to crash-test a new invention... "

Purah narrowed her eyes to slits and glanced at us alternately. Tapping her foot nervously, she stared down at our clasped hands and sighed loudly before answering at last:  
“Okaaaaay! Got it. _Your Highness_ ... We’ll find something for him to do! Like sweeping the floor or taking the garbage out or I dunno..."

She turned back on her heels and started to walk away. I looked back into Zelda's bewitching eyes… I needed to know what our clutching hands, displayed in full view of all, meant to her. Voiceless again, all I could do was to shake my head slowly to convey my perplexity; she lowered her gaze with a soft, bashful smile. Why was she playing with my heart like that?

“LINK”. Purah called in her most bossy voice. "Here. Work. Now. "

This time both our hands loosened by mutual agreement. I dared to lift mine to her face and she rubbed her cheek in it. I stealthily laid a kiss upon her other cheek before hurrying to my new chieftain.

Purah sat me down in front of a workbench and after a few instructions she gave me some disassembled Ancient parts I had to clean thoroughly. I handled the little gears with a religious care, well aware they were like Terrako's organs. Despite my obvious lack of experience, this job sounded to be within the reach of any idiot; as long as the idiot was a meticulous one.

The amount of parts was impressive for such a small guardian… And we quickly realized that some of them came from Terrako's dark counterpart. Zelda could sense with her power the ones that had been in Ganon's dominion the longest, thus she was given the task of sorting them out: Terrako on one side, Dark Terrako on the other. I was certain I could have helped her in that, but I didn't tell them: the difference was too subtle for me and I’d rather keep myself to works I could check the results of with my own eyes.

Quickly, I was given small mechanisms that I had to disassemble before cleaning them. Purah had arrogantly urged me to keep in mind I would have to put them back together afterwards; I accepted the challenge with insolence. Little by little she was increasing the complexity of the pieces she entrusted me with, as if to gauge my brains, and our mutual bravado quickly became a battle of wits and pig-headedness all our audience was delighted in.

To be honest, I was taking a real pleasure in solving these puzzles and mechanical enigmas the reassembly of large parts represented: it felt as if I had done so for centuries! At the end of the day, instead of another chaff, Purah threw a lab gown at me. "Check it!” She told over her shoulder. “You deserve it.". And she added with a naughty wink: "Can't wait to try on some Hylian armour: I'm sure it'll be far more sexier on me than on you! Hahaha! "

###  _ZELDA_

We had made good progress during this first day of work, and this in an unprecedented good spirit despite the morning altercation. The conflict between Link and Purah had finally turned to a game and as always my dearest one had found his place among the others very quickly.

By mid-afternoon, Purah had come to lean against the wall next to my desk. She removed from her mouth the candy she was chewing on and said:  
"Seems your boyfriend is not _that_ stupid after all, Princess… for a soldier…"  
"Purah, we are not ..."  
“No no, of _course_. It was _purely_ professional… ”  
"It's not that either... Let's say it's a little _complicated_. And I very well know he’s not stupid…"  
"Nothing should be _complicated_ eva for brains like yours or mine, Princess!"

She had taken her lollipop back into her mouth and left with a knowing wink. I tried to hide my embarrassment by diving back into my work. I might have gone too far this morning, standing up with him, hand in hand in front of the entire lab... My intention had only been to lower his fist and calm him down, but when his fingers had suddenly slipped through mine I had wanted to keep them forever… What Link had half-shouted at Purah had moved me: I had no idea he was going through this kind of inner ordeal and I couldn't stand to let him alone in his pain. He was always playing the steadfast warriors but deep down, he was such a sensitive boy ... A sensitive boy I had done so much harm to...

After that, Purah had made sure we worked apart from one another, exchanging only a few awkward glances from afar. I had hoped to find a moment to chat with him alone before going to sleep, but he had once again vanished very soon after dinner.

###  _LINK_

Dawn of the second day. I remembered having run away from the noisy dinner the night before; and above all, from the former-Yigas: they had wanted to celebrate my admission in the team by making me drink as much mighty banana liquor as they could, when a day of brain jousting had already given me a headache. I could not afford a hangover: the next day, I would have to live up to the honour Purah had accorded me.

Later in the evening, Zelda had stopped a few seconds behind the door of my room before joining hers… If I had rushed towards the door to open it for her, dressed as I had been then, for sure I would have scared her for good ... However I had kept this last attention in my heart when falling asleep, and I woke up more bright-spirited than I thought I would ever be again. Emboldened, I had greeted my Princess by elaborately bowing and kissing her hand in the refectory. I felt a little awkward: it was the first time I allowed myself this gesture I had seen so many officers and ministers perform. She couldn't hide her surprise and I was entranced to see her blushing.

“What about me?? Purah said with feigned outrage.  
I pretended to think for a moment then held out my clenched fist. "Check-it?"  
She burst into laughter and hit my fist with hers: "Check-it!! Now that’s the spirit! "

When I got to the lab, I proudly donned my lab gown and took up my new position as a “Mechanic-knight”. By dint of seeing them, I was beginning to memorize some Sheikah ancient characters, which helped me a lot in my reading of the notes and in my overall understanding; but some of the complex symbols still resisted me. I was cursing over a particularly tricky mechanism when I heard the sweetest voice in the world… "Do you need help, O Chosen Hero?"

Zelda was standing above me, a parchment in her hand and a delicious smile on her lips. She gave me one of her slow blinks to which I replied in the same way. Swallowing the rush of emotions that had suddenly invaded my chest, I held out the mechanism I was working on.  
"I'm still having trouble with some of the Sheikah symbols, Your Highness… can you see that rune carved into that piston? I stumble across it every now and then and I still have no idea what it means. "

Still holding her parchment, she rested her left wrist on my shoulder to lean over me, and laid her right hand affectionately on mine as she tilted the ancient part to examine it. Either I was going crazy or she was outwardly flirting...  
"I see ... It is the symbol we call Layfootoh, in the Sheikah alphabet it corresponds to the sound "LLLL"... As in "Link "... And on antique parts or when we’re taking notes, most of the time it means "to the left”.  
"Oh…! I see! So I guess if I snap that to the left… then turn it around like this and press lightly here… ”

I had spun the components in my hands as I spoke, and the mechanism that had been resisting me until then snapped back into place with a satisfying click. “That was it… Thank you, your Highness! "

She seemed to ponder something then whispered, shaking her head: "You are welcome…"

###  _ZELDA_

I had felt the need to rectify those courtesies between us, to tell him that he could call me by my first name; at least when we were just the two of us... But it was probably not the best time to talk about it, nor the best place… He followed up with another question:  
"I guess this symbol here I often see on the opposite side means “to the right”, then, right?"

I leaned over him again to examine the note he was pointing at. I was so close to him I had a hard time to focus my thoughts, but I replied: “Exactly: this one is the symbol we call "Raheetoh". It corresponds to the sound "RRRrr" ..." 

He flinched at the end of my sentence and gave me a candid smile. “RRRrr?"  
"Yes, like in 'Ruler', RRRRrr…" I repeated.  
He was beaming now, he sighed loudly and, with his eyes riveted into mine, he purred lovingly "RRRRrr ..."  
“Link !! I cried out, standing upright and giving him a slap of my parchment on the shoulder. I was shocked at his boldness! But I couldn't help but giggle along him.

"You are so…" I bit my lip… He was kind, handsome, funny, brave, smart too, oh yes he was, devoted, loving, and by Din that scientist gown suited him so well… I could not find a single thing to reproach him. I had lost myself in his eyes again. I swallowed and refrained to go and kiss him: "You are so… RRRrrr…" And I went away to my work bench before losing my mind.

"Your Highness, please do stay, I still need your help…!" He begged me teasingly as I walked away.  
“Go ask Robbie!” I replied, still laughing.

A few hours later, our good mood had been shattered by our progress in the inventory: the missing or unusable parts were legion. The only good news was the Guardian's memory drive and Artificial Intelligence board, the most crucial parts, appeared to be intact; but we were a long way from putting him back together. There was still hope though, if we could find spare parts at excavation sites all over Hyrule; but it could take years, and we weren't able to emulate ancient technology to make our replacement parts ourselves. Impa had joined us in the afternoon and even her, who had entertained a conflicting relationship with Terrako, seemed nonetheless deeply saddened by the news.

It was in this depressing atmosphere that we shared dinner. To brighten up the mood, Robbie had started after dessert a game of anecdotes around a bottle of mighty banana liquor. The piece of parchment I had pulled out of the pot had earned me having to tell about the most tenacious laugh I remembered from my school days.

I had recounted the day my friend Sah'Kiwa - whom everyone called Saki - had been kicked out of the classroom by the preceptor because of his incessant chitchatting. He was three years older than me, but at that time we still shared the common education of all the children of the palace.  
“Saki! Get out and see if I'm there!” The angered instructor had ordered him. Always polite despite his impertinence, Saki had stood up, had bowed briefly and had left. The teacher had hardly just closed the door behind him when someone knocked at it. It was Saki, of course, who then said in all seriousness:  
"Sir, I checked, and I can assure you that you’re absolutely not outside.” The whole class had burst into an unstoppable laughter, and Saki had been excluded from it for several days. He would have been so proud to know he had made us laugh again tonight, years after the event.

Following me in the game, Impa had been forced to sing a nursery rhyme, which had annoyed her quite a bit but had made us laugh again, mostly because of her very distaste of it. When it was Link's turn, he crumpled his piece of paper into a ball and threw it on the table. Then he stealthily cast me a glance before hiding his face in his hands with an unequivocal "No way."

Devoured with curiosity, Purah grabbed the paper from the table and, unfolding it, read it impatiently: “ _Your first love_ … Oh-oh! Good pick, Link! If you think you're going to escape from it, ya don't know me well enough! You drew it, you tell it! - That will make my evening purrfect! ". 

I made myself tiny in my seat: intervening would have just made the things even more flustering for us both. Laughingly, Robbie said: "See the bright side of it, Link: the day you pick up _your most embarrassing memory_ like I have, you'll know what to talk about!" The other guests laughed heartily.  
"Anything but that, seriously… Maybe I could just re-draw…?"  
"Not a chance,” Cherry, a lab assistant, intervened. “Come on, you know the rule: it would be disrespectful to your team to ask for a preferential treatment. And no lie, that would be unworthy of the Knight who Seals the Darkness! ”

Link drank his whole glass of liquor - which Robbie hastened to refill- and let out a deep sigh before beginning, his eyes locked on the bottom of the tablecloth he was twisting between his fingers.  
"I was only eight years old, she was roughly the same age…" I felt a twinge of disappointment. "… And until recently she didn't even know I existed so, well, there isn't really much more to say, actually…"  
“Come on, you can do better than that! How was she? What’s her name? How did it end?"  
"Well she was enchanting, of course, even then… and now she knows I exist, but that's about all I'm really sure of. And I never stopped loving her… ”  
"But does she know you have feelings for her at least?" "  
"Yes she knows..."  
"And she knows you're the Hero of Hyrule and all?"  
“Yes, that too. Listen, I'm just not very good at it, that’s all!” He took another sip. 

"Maybe she likes girls?" Purah asked; Link spat out his liquor out of surprise.  
"I don't think so," he said between two coughing fits while sponging the digestive with a towel, "but in truth, I don't know, actually…"

He was seemingly considering that might be the case... Could he have talked about me? I had no recollection of having met him during my childhood, none at all. And at that time, if I remembered well, he was living in Zora’s Domain. I had never gone there yet… It definitely couldn't have been me. I felt hurt at the thought I could be sharing his heart with another girl. Purah finally put a term to his struggle, not without throwing him a last taunt.

“It's seriously disappointing. I thought you were going to talk about Zelda… Ah, how I would have loved to draw this one… You would have learnt everything about the sumptuous Gerudo who proved to me with scientific rigor that men were just useless. It is in her honour that I still dye this lock in red, did you know? So, who's next? "

Link apologized and took his leave shortly after. I did not get a hand-kiss the next morning: just an affectionate but awkward nod from afar when I entered the workshop. He was already busy with Robbie, whose notes he copied diligently to edit duplicates of them.

###  _LINK_

I had asked Purah for permission to get my own list of Terrako's missing parts, on a personal basis. She granted it to me without asking a question "As long as you copy it on your own... and ya’ better take care of yourself, whatever you’re planning!" _I promise, Chief._ So for this last session I was helping Robbie to produce copies of the report of these few days of work. Despite the task in itself being by far duller than resolving puzzles, no need to say working with such a goofball had made my workday the very opposite of boring!

"Here, Princess: as you asked me, I give you back the ancient screw you had kept with you since the end of the war. Don't lose it, eh?” Purah said to Zelda as we were about to leave. "We are now going to focus on repairing the mechanisms that can be... But without replacement parts, even by drawing among Dark Terrako’s parts, I am afraid there is little hope to rebuild him for now… And I suppose organizing new excavations is not one of the Kingdom's priorities at the moment… ”  
"Sadly, you are right…" Impa replied.  
“Hey, Your Highness,” said Robbie, “we may not be able to rebuild him soon but it’s not hopeless either! What is Rule one of researcher’s code?”  
“Never give up…” Zelda answered, pressing the screw close to her heart. "Thank you Robbie. Purah, I understand, don't worry… Please do your best… And thank you..."

On our way home, as the sunset was turning into gold the perforated limestone of Demise Breach, Zelda stopped. I knew the place: it was here that for the first time ever, Terrako had hooted alarmingly to warn us of the attack of a guardian… I did not need more to realize why she had stopped: she was grieving. I came back to her; close enough to let her know I was here for her, and I was sharing her sorrow.  
"We owe him so much, Link…"  
"I know..."

As I had done that day - and so many times since - to drag her to safety, I grabbed her hand.  
"Your Highness…"  
"No… No more of that. _Zelda_ … Please. At least when we are just the two of us. Just _Zelda_ …”

She turned toward me and gave me an almost pleading look as she entangled her fingers with mine. Moved, I lifted my other hand to her face: she welcomed this gesture as if she had thirsted for it, bringing her free hand upon mine to caress it and press it a little closer on her cheek. My thumb found the corner of her mouth and, trembling, brushed her lips. An instant later she was opening her impatient mouth on the skin of my hand…

Drunk with love and joy, I slowly approached my face to hers. Her breathing had sped up and I could feel my heart pounding. Slowly, ever so slowly, I brushed her lips with mine and she kissed me; shyly at first, then more and more greedily. The softness of her lips, the smoothness of our mouths slipping into each other’s and the caress of her tongue on mine made my whole body tremble with desire. My right hand had slipped down to the back of her neck while my left arm had curled up in the arch of her back to pull her entire body closer to me. Her feverish hands had roamed my chest and my back before seeking grip in the fabric of my tunic...

Impa cleared her throat, reminding us we were not alone…

Our lips parted reluctantly and my beloved rested her forehead against mine. She closed her eyes and moaned her disapproval at having to stop... When she opened her eyes again, we exchanged a knowing smile, still lost in each other. I released my grip and took her hand back in mine, massaging it longingly with my thumb.  
"As you wish, Zelda…"  
"Thank you, Link… let's go home…"

We exchanged one of our slow blinks, like a secret kiss shared from soul to soul and, hand in hand, we resumed our walk to the castle.

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They KIIIIIIISSED OJFNSDH IHLIHDLM MKLJLGTDCGDH OMG. 
> 
> Still 10 chapters to go, but the task is depressing, and my loneliness in this is deathly. 
> 
> The name Sah Kiwa comes from the fruit Kiwano: he's a Sheikah. I can't wait to introduce him to you. 
> 
> Kudos if you like kisses. Comment if you like Sheikah poets. Share if you want me to follow Rule One and never give up.


End file.
